When Americans are looking to plan their next big trip, getting a deal is one of the biggest deciding factors. And while domestic travel reigns supreme, more people are planning a trip outside the country.
According to TripAdvisor’s bi-annual TripBarometer study that measures the latest travel influencers and emerging hospitality trends, 67 percent of Americans surveyed say they’re planning a trip abroad for 2104, compared to 53 percent last year.
Almost all American survey respondents , or 97 percent, said they were planning a domestic trip in 2014.
Over 60,000 traveler and hoteliers around the world, including more than 10,000 U.S. travelers were surveyed.
According to the U.S. Department of State, there are over 117,000,000 passports in circulation today, which means about a third of the population have the documents to travel internationally. That’s a big leap from just 10 years ago when there were just about 60,000,000 U.S. passports issued.
The survey also reveals new consumer spending habits and makes some predictions on hot destinations for 2014.
According to the TripAdvisor survey, U.S. travelers ranked Italy, Australia and Ireland as their top three dream destinations for this year.
And when it comes to all types of travel, we’re dropping some serious money.
The average U.S. traveler budget is $8,272 – per person. The U.S. ranks 6th among countries expected to spend the most on trips in 2014 – behind, Germany- $8,331, the United Kingdom- $8,351, New Zealand- $8,457, Switzerland- $11,575, and Australia at a whopping $12,393 per traveler.
For domestic and international travel, one of the most important factors is still cost. According to Americans surveyed, 97 percent say that price was a key decision making factor when booking, while 47 percent say the “special offers” were important.
Think your hotel room is getting more expensive?
You’re probably right. Fifty eight percent of U.S. hoteliers surveyed said they will be raising room rates in 2014. Hotels surveyed say that their patrons are relying more on Internet property reviews than cost when making their final booking decision.
As hotels look to cut costs across the board, 63 percent of hotel respondents said they have already done away with the pricey in-room mini bar.
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